Painter, illustrator, and printmaker Francisco Dosamantes was born in Mexico City on October 4,1911, son of artist and builder Daniel Dosamantes. Encouraged by his father and his uncle Juan he began studying art. The Mexican Revolution occurred while he was a young child and he stated that he remembered events such as soldiers on horses charging as well as the execution of rural farm workers, events that would inform his work for the rest of his life. He then entered the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas and studied there for five years, though disappointed by his inexperienced professors.

He found employment with the cultural missions of the Secretariat of Public Education in Oaxace, Michoacán, and other rural, impoverished states. Working with both indigenous and agricultural communities there, Dosamantes gained great sympathy for the plight of these people, sparking a life and career devoted to political and cultural activism. He was a member of the League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists, and a founding member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, remaining active with this group until his death.

His work has similarities to that of his contemporary Francisco Zuniga and they both undoubtedly crossed paths many times from the 1930's onwards if not before.

He created a series of lithographs depicting the lives of rural Maya in Campeche which have earned enduring recognition and found their way into numerous public and private collections. His work was widely exhibited throughout North America, and can be found at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. as well a many other institutions in the Western Hemisphere. Francisco Dosamantes died in Mexico City in 1986.